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Tap into your instincts and listen to your gut.
By Emily Ratay — Written on Jun 28, 2019
Do you consider yourself to be intuitive? Sometimes, when you’re trying to move past a difficult decision or make the right decision, it feels easier to handle it with your head over your heart.
Your heart can get you into all kinds of trouble, to be honest, and it can make you feel like you’re in more control when you try to use your brain over your heart to steer you in the right direction.
The only thing about that is, your brain doesn’t always know what is best for you. It might help you make the most logical decision, but will it help you make the decision that’s really right for you? Not always.
My point is, even when it’s hard, it’s always a good idea to keep your heart at least on speed dial when dealing with personal matters.
You never know when your intuition is going to come in handy.
What is intuition, exactly? It's knowing that everything doesn't require a logical explanation. Being intuitive means you trust your inner voice and when everything else points to the opposite, you follow your gut.
As human beings, we can’t help but get caught up in our thoughts and actions at times. Intuition is something that develops with time, and it requires practice because feelings can be fickle.
You might feel like you’re doing everything right, but you can still find yourself looking for answers and feeling generally lost from time to time.
When you do find yourself in a situation like this, where are you supposed to turn?
You might have a great support system to turn to, but in the end, you are the only person who knows what you need the most.
That is why learning how to listen to your heart is always a good idea. Not only has science proven that intuition exists, people have shared stories of success when they tap into it.
Three ways to improve your intuition include:
1. Get a good night's sleep every day.
When you set a routine for sleep, it allows your brain to get the rest that you need. A rested brain can give room to your inner voice because it's not working overtime to process information during the day.
2. Get into nature, especially places where it's very quiet.
Walks in the park, strolls with your dog, sitting by the beach and listening to the sounds of the ocean are all wonderful ways to connect with the spiritual side of you.
3. Get comfortable with feelings... and trust them.
Intuition = feelings = trust. Test yourself. If you feel a certain way and go with your gut and then see if you were right. Those moments can help you to see what your still voice sounds like and how it communicates with you.
It obviously takes a lot of practice, especially for those zodiac signs who are not always in touch with their emotional side.
Still, no matter what your zodiac sign is, it’s still a skill we should all learn how to hone.
So, where do you even start when it comes to learning how to listen to your inner voice?
Well, the first step would be to find a quiet place, close your eyes, and do some deep breathing.
This will not only help you clear your mind, but it will also give you a chance to “hear” what your heart has to say to you.
When you’re dealing with an especially difficult or important situation in your life, your heart will have a lot to tell you about what to do next.
It will be up to you to really determine what you need to do, but knowing that your own body is trying to help you through a problem is nice to know.
Depending on what is hardest for your zodiac sign to deal with or handle, there may be a certain time when you should be listening to your heart over other times.
For example, if you are like me and you have a hard time articulating what you need in your relationship, the best time for you to listen to your heart would be when you need to have an important talk with your S.O.
We don’t always want to hear what our hearts have to tell us, but that doesn’t make it any less important to hear the hard truths we need to hear. Here is when to listen to your heart, according to your zodiac sign.
ARIES (March 21 - April 19)
Aries, your inner voice may speak when you feel angry. It's important to listen to your heart when your temper starts to show. As a very passionate zodiac sign, it’s easy for that passion of yours to turn into anger and fire when things don’t go your way.
Rather than let your temper flare and cause destruction for no reason, look within your heart and ask yourself if this is how you want to handle things. Is it worth standing up for and putting all your energy and fire into this feeling or situation? You may be surprised what your heart has to say.
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20)
Taurus, sometimes your gut will nudge you when life feels less beautiful than it should. So, listen to your heart when your mind starts to feel cloudy. You usually have very good and clear intentions, but there are times when you’re not entirely sure what you’re working towards anymore.
Before pushing through a situation or task, especially when you’re feeling lost or confused, take some time to sit back and reevaluate. Your heart knows you better than you know yourself sometimes, so give it the benefit of the doubt and let it lead you when you need guidance.
GEMINI (May 21 - June 20)
Gemini, contradictions and confusion are times when your intuition is tapping you on the shoulder to hear what it has to say. Listen to your heart when you don’t know what to say. I know, I know. You’re very good at communication, and not knowing what to say almost never happens to you. But hear me out.
You’re someone who is constantly connected to technology, so saying your truth over text or online is a lot easier than doing it in person. When that time inevitably comes and you’re not sure where to start, let your heart do the talking – it’s never wrong.
CANCER (June 21 - July 22)
Cancer, your gut speaks to you when you feel moody. As someone who is constantly taking care of others, you are always listening and attending to everyone else’s problems but your own. At the end of the day, you feel drained and moody.
It’s important for you to have an emotional outlet so that all the time spent taking care of others doesn’t build up into resentment. Listen to what your heart wants, whether that’s a cup of tea, a yoga session, or some loud music to rock out to. I promise you’ll feel healed afterward.
LEO (July 23 - August 22)
Leo, you need to develop your instincts especially when drama starts to take over your life. You are a zodiac sign that lives and breathes passion. Your heart is always pump-pumping for love and intensity, but it’s easy for those things to steer toward things like drama if you’re not careful.
When it feels like everything in your life is starting to revolve around drama, take a break from it all. Let your heart tell you what you need, whether that’s a break from social media, a retreat to connect with yourself again, or just a day away from everything. You already know what you need in life, just let your heart remind you.
VIRGO (August 23 - September 22)
Virgo, you may not believe intuitiveness exists, so learn to define it for yourself. Listen to your heart when your critical voice starts to get too loud. While there’s nothing wrong with being critical of yourself – especially in healthy doses – you sometimes take it too far.
No one is perfect, no matter how hard we all try to be. Listen to your heart when things get too much to handle because it is always going to have the right thing to say to you. Deep down, you just want what’s best for you; just don’t let your fear of failure and being less than perfect stop you from listening to your heart.
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22)
Libra, people have told you that you may have ESP. So, listen to your heart when the chaos of life sets in. You are the zodiac sign who always seems to make the right decisions in life, simply because you want everyone to be happy (yourself included).
That said, life is bound to become unbalanced, no matter how much control you try to have over everything in your life. Listen to your heart during these times. It may tell you to ride out the chaos or give you tips for bringing balance back into your life, but whatever it tells you, take it seriously.
SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21)
Scorpio, listen to your heart when you’re scared. You like to hide it, but there are a lot of things that scare you about life and love. That said, you can never be your true self or make a difference in the world if you don’t let yourself face your fears head-on.
When your brain tries to psych you out, or when you come face-to-face with some darker emotions, listen to what your heart has to say. It will always be scary to confront the things you don’t want to confront, but it IS possible, Scorpio.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21)
Sagittarius, listen to your heart when you have a question. You’re a deep thinker and a philosopher at heart, so coming across deeply meaningful questions is not out of the realm of possibility for you.
That said, just because you have the question doesn’t mean you know the answer yet. Answering those burning questions is how you learn and grow. Let yourself be open to all kinds of interpretations to your questions, including the mysterious answers your heart has for you. You never know what you’ll learn!
CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19)
Capricorn, listen to your heart when you need to face your feelings. You’re used to putting aside your desires and needs for your work, Capricorn, but that’s not always very healthy. In fact, it can really mess with you in the long run.
While it may seem really difficult at first, it’s important to take a deep dive into your inner self and ask yourself what you really want. You may not always like the answer, but it’s important to have a more meaningful connection with your heart.
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18)
Aquarius, listen to your heart when it’s time to feel your feelings. You’re so used to thinking over feeling that you almost never give yourself a chance to be emotional. There’s nothing wrong or weak about being emotionally open, but that's for you to discover.
Whenever you feel something deep within your heart, let that feeling come to the surface instead of trying to push it down or rationalize it with fact. Feelings and emotions don’t always have to have an answer – your heart will know what to do. Just trust your intuition.
PISCES (February 19 - March 20)
Pisces, listen to your heart when you find yourself having trouble putting your emotions into words. You are deeply attuned to your emotions and feelings, but you’re not always able to articulate how you feel. I know, it can be frustrating.
Rather than blaming yourself or others – simply because it’s easier than admitting that you’re stuck or frustrated – listen to what your heart has to say about how you’re feeling. It’ll be a learning curve, but an important one for sure.
Emily Ratay is a full-time writer living in Pittsburgh. She's passionate about the environment and feminism, and knows that anything is possible in the right pair of shoes. She plans on writing a non-fiction book in the future.